MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 11: Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy driving the (12) Mercedes AMG Petronas

Can Mercedes stay ahead of their rivals at the Madring?

F1 Correspondent & PresenterLawrence Barretto

Kimi Antonelli continued his fine form in Madrid as he topped the times after Friday practice. But with a red flag causing disruption to everyone’s running, and very little long run data gathered on a brand-new track, it’s still all to play for heading into the weekend…

How good is Antonelli looking?

Pretty good, but that’s no surprise given the form he’s been in all season to be fair. The championship leader, who went from 19th to first at the last round in Italy, looked the more comfortable of the two Mercedes, with Antonelli able to quickly find a groove on the soft tyre in Free Practice 2.

Whether or not he can stay there remains to be seen, as the track is evolving quickly and is only set to get more rubbered in as the weekend progresses.

But given he’s in the best place on Friday, and that he and Mercedes tend to make good steps overnight into the weekend, he is in very good shape.